Flash is going to disappear on December 31st 2020. It’s a difficult situation but the powers that be have decided that Flash has to go. We would love to be able to keep things running the way they were but it’s just not possible.
We are a very small crew of dedicated guys and gals that want the best for this site and for all of you that have stuck with us through thick and thin. Sadly, we have to make some changes to ensure we can keep things running and improving in 2021 and beyond.
HTML5 Games
We really wanted to convert all of the games but this has turned out to be far more complicated than we initially anticipated. So we took the hard decision to start converting the most popular games. For the beginning of 2021, the following (should) be the lineup of games moving forward.
I Love Treasure
Klondike Solitaire
Hoop de Loop
Pepper Panic
Monster Fever
Puff Fish Poppers
Beached Buddies
Gin Rummy
Princess Peony
Ace Solitaire(2012)
Bubble Witch
Candy Crush
Papa Pear
Farm King
Release the Creeps
Diamond Digger
Stitcheroo
Bubble Saga
Cat Corner
Golf Solitaire
Honey Mine
Mahjong Masquerade
Kalorie King
Klicker Fusion
Pet Rescue
Performance Issues in HTML5 Games
HTML5 can be more RAM and CPU intensive than Flash, which means older systems can struggle.
Trust me, I see everything! I hear the complaints and I am going to address them in 2021.
We are going to look at optimisation for HTML5 games in 2021. We are investigating RAM usage and aim to outline RAM requirements. This should give you all a better performance benchmark, but hopefully we can bring those requirements down in 2021. This is not going to be an overnight process however, so as per usual, I very much appreciate your patience.
Flash Games
What this means is we are going to be delisting the vast majority of our Flash games by the end of the year. This is not a decision we have taken lightly but it is our only choice. We can’t support these games if the browsers do not.
The shame is we lose a lot of classic games and no doubt some of our amazing long-term players, which is horrible. We hope you do stick around because we are always trying to think about the future and how we can improve things. My hope is that in 2021 we get to concentrate less on HTML5 (basically keeping the site alive) and more on bug fixes, improvements and new features.
Site Features
We are also porting over the Castle, Avatars, Spinners, Freeroll Spinners and all of the other little Flash Elements that make up the site. The aim is to also have this done by December 31st 2020. There is a small possibility that some elements might not be entirely finished, but we are working hard to make sure this does not happen.
Summary
So there it is! That is what is happening in its entirety. I have to reiterate, I wish we could have converted every game, but with all the will in the world it just could not happen. I know we are going to lose some of you and I completely understand. All I can say is thank you so much for being part of this site and creating one of the most unique gaming communities on the planet. I sincerely hope you do stay and that we continue to keep entertaining you for many more years to come.
Don't see why you can't continue porting games after December. You must have the source code etc... so instead of giving up, carry on converting them, don't delete them. We've put up with so much merde over the years, think most of us can hang on while you rebuild the games list.
Nothing is getting deleted in that sense. However, with scarce resources for the time being, we have to start somewhere.
@hlygrail: The new owner was never interested in this site. They wanted King.com and this site was part of the deal. They had to take us. Since then incompetent techs already ruined games as Freddies Fruity Friday and Bubble Witch, They "fixed"the last one but it doesn't perform as well as it did >
The decommission date of Flash has been known since 2017. This was the Y2K moment for games. Not for lack of warning, this sounds like delayed planning. Real reason? All those other games don't draw enough revenue anymore to make support worthwhile. Bean counters miss that other games bring players
Thank you Clown Prince for the info about Royal Games. It's the most honest and informative blog that's been written in a LONG time! Although I'm saddened by the many games being lost on here, I will still be a cash player here. 14 years and counting!
There are several sites that have hidden object, card, mahjong games etc. that are much better than the ones here but no other site has the community spirit, friendly competition like this one does. Let's keep it that way...:)) xxx
I'm glad they finally told us what is happening. We are all losing games we love but there are still good games left on the list. Give them a chance to fix the HTML games and maybe there will be games added...:)) xxx
its a shame that you cannot sort this out most of us paid money to join you and i am sure most paying players would pay a small fee to sort out problem PLEASE SORT THIS OUT
I totally agree what CV said l think they should do that and everybody will be happy about it you never know they meant surprise us just have to wait and see
Not one for the short term, but some of the games that got cut years ago, Crescendo Catcher, Bejeweled, Storm chaser etc were great, and could something be done in HTML5 with these? I know there's a lot to port, but a brand new HTML5 game could also breathe some life in.
Bejeweled is a license thingy. However, Crescendo and Storm Chaser were great but not made in Flash but something else. We haven't dug into it yet but it would be great if we could get them up in HTML5 also. Again, I don't want to promise anything but I have put these forward as it sort of would be almost new games haha. With great music too.
Don't know how much attention is being paid to these comments, but Midas Mahjong seems to be the one most people are voting to have converted. How about it, Royal Games?
Very strange, I was sure it would be on the list. I have to investigate further.
I'd also like to add my surprise, that with the vast income you bring in, and yes, I've looked at company income; that you can't find a huge team of developers who can quite happily convert the games.
Dissapointing
Unfortunately it's not how business is done in real life. Just because the other parts of the company is making money, doesn't mean they will throw money on us.
Goldfish bowl was the game that got me into this site 16 years ago! It was uber popular back in the day (as Big brother goldfish bowl!) Also Midas mahjong. These two should be saved. They were a big part of what made this site.
Also, Quiz Queen, Word Battle, Go go 21, Hidden stories, Jungle bubbl
I have been here for many years. I do hope that in the future you will be able to produce new games for us to play so that we may all have new favorites to choose from, as well as new items for the castle scene and our avatars. Best of luck trying to sort it out. I really do hope you can.
many players have remained loyal, both in normal and gold accounts, with the changes to games and losing a lot of games, the site will lose a lot of there clients, many of whom have found friends on here, its a disgrace in this modern age that they are not trying hard enough to keep people happy.
